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• A Few Thoughts on the Economics of Software Product Development

  LeadingAgile

  Mike Cottmeyer

  2 Feb 2012 | 6:59 am

  Some of you probably already get this… some of you might even disagree… but unless you are building software as a hobby… chances are, you building software for money. In other words, someone is paying you to write software for them. Why would someone pay you money to show up and write software? They are paying you money to write software because they hope to sell that software and get even more money in return. It is an investment. Ideally, we should want our investors to get a good return on that investment so they’ll keep investing. It’s our job as software professionals…

• $25B to Settle Foreclosure Abuse— But Victims Only Get $2,000

  FOXNews.com

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Forty-nine states agree to accept $25-billion foreclosure-abuse settlement from nation's five largest mortgage lenders — with Oklahoma the lone agreement holdout — that primarily helps underwater homeowners, but pays only $2,000 to those already wrongly foreclosed upon.Relief for Victims, or Political Quick-Fix?Obama Skirts Congress, Gives States a Pass on 'No Child Left Behind' LawOPINION: Waivers Let Team Obama Seize Control of Your Child's EducationGOP Push to End IRS 'Free-Fund' for Illegals SEC Reportedly Eyes New Charges Against Wall Street

• Military jury finds Marine sergeant not guilty in hazing case

  FOXNews.com

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pm

  A military jury has found a Marine sergeant not guilty of charges in the hazing of a lance corporal in his squad

• Republicans rally against contraception rule at conference, as Dems suggest policy change

  FOXNews.com

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pm

  Republicans stepped up their campaign Thursday against the Obama administration's controversial contraception rule, using the pulpit of the premier conservative conference in Washington to assail the policy as an unconstitutional "attack on religious freedom." 

• Ex-addicts staying sober through sport

  CNN.com Recently Published/Updated

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pm

  When Nick Nisbet says he once hit rock bottom, he means it.

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  LeadingAgile

• A Few Thoughts on the Economics of Software Product Development

  Mike Cottmeyer

  2 Feb 2012 | 6:59 am

  Some of you probably already get this… some of you might even disagree… but unless you are building software as a hobby… chances are, you building software for money. In other words, someone is paying you to write software for them. Why would someone pay you money to show up and write software? They are paying you money to write software because they hope to sell that software and get even more money in return. It is an investment. Ideally, we should want our investors to get a good return on that investment so they’ll keep investing. It’s our job as software professionals…

• InfoQ Interview with Mike Cottmeyer – Agile Adoption and Transformation

  Mike Cottmeyer

  6 Jan 2012 | 10:09 am

  This got published today… here is a link to the interview:                   http://www.infoq.com/interviews/Mike-Cottmeyer-Agile-Adoption-Transformation Take a look and tell me what you think.  Here is just a little more about the talk: Summary In Agile, adoption and transformation are typically viewed as one big event. Mike Cottmeyer provides a holistic perspective that looks as adoption as the implementation of practices, and transformation along two dimensions, organizational and personal. Mike discusses how they are a means to an end,…

• Merry Christmas from LeadingAgile

  Mike Cottmeyer

  24 Dec 2011 | 9:00 pm

      We just wanted to take a moment to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  Hope you’re having a great day surrounded by the people you love! - Mike, Dennis & Peter   Related Posts:InfoQ Interview with Mike Cottmeyer – Agile Adoption and TransformationNew Agile Content Aggregator: BlogNotionsLeadingAgile Welcomes Dennis Stevens and Peter SaddingtonHappy New Year 2011!TAG Product Management Talk

• Are You Intentional?

  Mike Cottmeyer

  23 Dec 2011 | 9:00 pm

  Intentional. One of my favorite words as of late… and a theme I am constantly preaching to my clients. Mirriam-Webster defines intentional as being done by intention or design. Dictionary.com defines intentional as being done with intention or on purpose. Google suggests several synonyms for intentional including deliberate, willful, or purposeful. Intentionality implies we have thought things through, we have chosen a course of action, and we are willing to accept the consequences of those actions. If we are going to succeed, we don’t want to succeed by accident. If we are going to…

• The Problem with Precision

  Mike Cottmeyer

  21 Dec 2011 | 9:00 pm

  I think engineers are interesting people… especially software engineers. Given what I do for a living, I get to work with a lot of software companies, and that means I get to spend time with a lot of software engineers. If you spend enough time, in enough software companies, with enough software engineers, some patterns start to emerge. One of the patterns that I see quite a bit is that software engineers like things to be really precise. Being precise is a good quality for software engineers… it helps them build software that doesn’t break. Sometimes broken software kills…

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  FOXNews.com

• $25B to Settle Foreclosure Abuse— But Victims Only Get $2,000

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Forty-nine states agree to accept $25-billion foreclosure-abuse settlement from nation's five largest mortgage lenders — with Oklahoma the lone agreement holdout — that primarily helps underwater homeowners, but pays only $2,000 to those already wrongly foreclosed upon.Relief for Victims, or Political Quick-Fix?Obama Skirts Congress, Gives States a Pass on 'No Child Left Behind' LawOPINION: Waivers Let Team Obama Seize Control of Your Child's EducationGOP Push to End IRS 'Free-Fund' for Illegals SEC Reportedly Eyes New Charges Against Wall Street

• Rhode Island Readies for 'Circus' Over Prayer Banner

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Officials brace for public hearing to vote on whether to fight court order to take down school's prayer bannerEXCLUSIVE: Fed Program Sends Acceptance Emails to 300 Rejected ApplicantsUniversity of North Dakota Keeps 'Fighting Sioux' Nickname

• From Armored Car Heist to Hooking Up Your Cable?

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  'Fast' Eddie Maher, wanted in $1.5M UK heist, is arrested in Missouri, where he now works as a cable guyHouston Mom Grabs Gun to Confront Burglars

• Coach Accused of Giving Teen 'Morning After' Pills

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Former Texas coach faces felony charges for allegedly giving student pills after she had unprotected sexPOWER PLAY: Obama May Waive Away Birth-Control Rule DisputeDR. MANNY: Liberalizing 'Morning After' Pill Availability Sends Dangerous Message

• Was US 'Scoping Out' Aid Plan for Syrian Rebels?

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Report says US officials were considering an aid plan but say any efforts were purely 'academic'VIDEO: The Syrian Crisis Now Activists: Dozens Killed in HomsChina: Syria Veto Won't Hurt Cooperation With USGermany Expels 4 Syrian Diplomats for Alleged Spying

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  FOXNews.com

• Military jury finds Marine sergeant not guilty in hazing case

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pm

  A military jury has found a Marine sergeant not guilty of charges in the hazing of a lance corporal in his squad

• Man faces at least 10 years after pleading guilty to child porn charges

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:19 pm

  Garryowen man with two previous child pornography convictions faces at least 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to viewing child pornography on computers in 2010 and 2011.

• Georgia 7-year-old escapes potential abductor

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:43 pm

  A man accused of trying to abduct a 7-year-old from the toy aisle at a Wal-Mart could make his first appearance Friday. 

• Disabled student sues California high school to play baseball

  9 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  A deaf student with cerebral palsy is suing a Southern California school district for barring him from playing on his high school baseball team.

• Fugitive sibling to pleads guilty in Colorado court

  9 Feb 2012 | 10:41 am

  One of three siblings accused in a multi-state crime spree pleaded guilty Thursday to charges stemming from the trio's capture in Colorado.

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  FOXNews.com

• Republicans rally against contraception rule at conference, as Dems suggest policy change

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pm

  Republicans stepped up their campaign Thursday against the Obama administration's controversial contraception rule, using the pulpit of the premier conservative conference in Washington to assail the policy as an unconstitutional "attack on religious freedom." 

• 9/11 heroes and victims deserve license plate before NY Giants, lawmakers say

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:24 pm

  A commemorative license plate for the New York Giants was unveiled hours after their Super Bowl victory.

• Marine Corps says snipers posted with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan

  9 Feb 2012 | 10:14 am

  The U.S. Marine Corps confirmed Thursday that a sniper team in Afghanistan posed for a photograph in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS.

• Democrats propose 6-week cut in long-term jobless benefits

  9 Feb 2012 | 10:01 am

  Congressional Democrats are urging a modest six-week cut in the number of weeks that unemployed workers can receive jobless benefits as House-Senate talks on a payroll tax cut slowly inch along. 

• Audit clears State Department in Keystone pipeline review

  9 Feb 2012 | 9:57 am

  The State Department's internal watchdog has cleared the agency of any impropriety in its review of a permit for a controversial pipeline that that would carry Canadian oil across the continental United States. 

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  CNN.com Recently Published/Updated

• Ex-addicts staying sober through sport

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pm

  When Nick Nisbet says he once hit rock bottom, he means it.

• At least 137 reported killed as Syrian attacks escalate

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:37 pm

  A Syrian opposition group reported at least 137 deaths at the hands of government forces Thursday as President Bashar al-Assad escalated a brutal assault against an opposition that wants an end to his regime.

• The time to honor Iraq vets is now

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:36 pm

  The Iraq War ended in December, and veterans and other citizens throughout the country have begun clamoring for local parades to celebrate the return of our Iraq veterans -- yet only one city in the nation, St. Louis, has held one.

• Hinckley hearing ends; judge to rule later on expanded freedom

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pm

  A lawyer for presidential assailant John Hinckley Jr. made an impassioned plea to a federal judge Thursday to allow Hinckley longer visits to his elderly mother's home in Virginia.

• Contraception controversy consumes D.C., campaign

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pm

  Congressional Democrats and Republicans escalated their rhetorical war Thursday over a pending federal rule requiring religiously affiliated employers to provide full contraception coverage to women -- one day after hints emerged of a possible compromise between the White House and conservative religious critics.

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  CNN.com

• Opinion: Google knows too much

  9 Feb 2012 | 11:58 am

  Frida Ghitis says online hoarding of our private information is not something we can afford to "dismiss."

• Doctor in Homs: We're all waiting to die

  9 Feb 2012 | 11:58 am

  The bodies begin coming in before the sun rises to the sky. Some arrive with heads decapitated or their torsos split open like animals after slaughter. Or their limbs are mangled under the crush of rubble.

• 137 reported killed as attacks escalate

  9 Feb 2012 | 9:58 am

  A Syrian opposition group reported as many as 126 deaths at the hands of government forces Thursday as President Bashar al-Assad escalated a brutal assault against an opposition that wants an end to his regime.

• Deep freeze overloads Ukraine EMS

  9 Feb 2012 | 9:19 am

  Suffering in the grip of a brutal winter where temperatures have not risen above freezing in nearly a month, Ukraine has seen a wave of deaths related to the cold, and the country's ambulance service is inundated with calls for help.

• China

  9 Feb 2012 | 8:41 am

  China will sometimes say "no" and the world should get used to it.

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  Beernews.org

• The Bruery, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery announce new collaboration (video)

  Adam Nason

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:21 pm

      With this video, The Bruery and Hangar 24 Brewery announce that they are collaborating on a beer that will be released next winter. They don’t specify whether this is formally part of the The Bruery’s new local collaboration series though one can put two and two together. No details on the beer as of yet… via Vimeo | The Bruery.

• Yazoo Fortuitous Sour Ale to be released on February 18th

  Adam Nason

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm

  We will open up the doors to the brewery at noon on Saturday, Feb 18th. From noon until 2 PM, everyone who comes in will get a free raffle ticket. Then at 2 PM, we will raffle off the 120 special certificates that will allow the holder to purchase up to four bottles of Fortuitous at a separate location (not far from the brewery). Whatever is not purchased on that Saturday will be available to the general public starting the following week. More info on the beer at Embrace the Funk. via Yazoo Brew blog.

• Oglala Sioux Tribe sues over a dozen beer companies

  Adam Nason

  9 Feb 2012 | 1:02 pm

  The tribe’s lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, lists more than a dozen defendants, including beer manufacturers Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Co. The 10-page lawsuit alleges the beer distributors and manufacturers knowingly provided alcohol to the four beer stores, which, in turn, sold alcohol to residents of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned. It was also reported yesterday that the IRS is also auditing the Oglala Sioux Tribe. via Rapid City Journal.

• The end of “dumbed-down” beer advertising?

  Adam Nason

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:09 pm

  Paul Chibe, the recently appointed (Anheuser-Busch) CMO, has his hands full. He’s inherited once great U.S. brands that are in severe erosion and he’s determined to confront what he sees as the "dumbing down" of the entire category’s advertising, as he told me last week. The kind of advertising (see also Miller Lite’s "Man Up" campaign, et al) has contributed to the category’s loss of volume to wine and spirits, hence Bud Light Platinum — "a premium proposition" designed to "appeal to young-adult drinkers who’ve…

• Allagash Black coming to 4-packs

  Adam Nason

  9 Feb 2012 | 12:02 pm

  @beerpulse beerpulse Per the @allagashbeer Facebook account, they are putting Allagash Black in 4-pks today. Only 750ml bottles ’til now. http://t.co/uWSfdDIJ about 1 hour agoReplyRetweetFavorite

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  Beer News

• Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems

  9 Feb 2012 | 10:59 am

  An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

• Pink beer, just in time for Valentine's Day

  9 Feb 2012 | 6:49 am

  Do you know about the nautilus? First it was an amazing aquatic critter with a big ol'A shell, and now it is also a delicious pink vegan beer.

• Recap of Extreme Beer Fest. Funky Buddha Stuns All.

  9 Feb 2012 | 2:40 am

  Saturday night had a completely different atmosphere than Friday night . You could certainly tell that the Funky Buddha had created waves from Friday night that couldn't be missed.

• Story, video: Beer battle brewing over homebrew proposal

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:20 pm

  An Omro man who beat a puppy to death rather than follow police orders to give up the dog will... How to make your own home brewed beer: From grinding the grains to bottling the beer check out these quick steps to making your own home brewed beer from two Society of Oshkosh Brewers members.

• Fight brewing over homebrew proposal

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:15 pm

  A fight is brewing in the Legislature over a proposal that seeks to make clear that home brewers don't necessarily have to brew and serve their beer at home.